The Jacksonville Jaguars addressed several needs in free agency without having to overspend. While there's still plenty of work left, you can make the case that the roster is in better shape than it was at the end of the 2024 season. However, not everyone is thrilled with the direction the Jags are taking.
Dan Hickens of 1010 XL took to Twitter to say that he's disappointed with the lack of splash signings Jacksonville made on Day 1 of the tampering period, arguing that the players the team signed would usually be the leftovers.
the guys the Jags are signing are the guys you announce on Friday of free agency week...
— Dan Hicken (@DanHicken) March 10, 2025
For context, the Jags avoided overspending for center Drew Dalman, offensive guard, Will Fries, safety Jevon Holland, or cornerback Byron Murphy. All four were seen as potential fits in Jacksonville but ended up going to other teams. Instead, the front office brought in Robert Heinsay, Patrick Mekari, Eric Murray, and Jourdan Lewis and paid significantly less for all of them.
It looks like Hickens later tried to walk back his original comments, noting that he would've liked to see the Jags sign ONE BIG-NAME free agent. He then cited their 2022 free-agent class as proof that spending does work.
let me try this again...i understand free agency can be fool's gold...would've like to see them sign ONE of the bigger names...free agency can work...go back and look at 2022, Kirk, Foye, Scherff, Engram, Darious Williams Key, all helped
— Dan Hicken (@DanHicken) March 10, 2025
To nobody's surprise, Hickens committed Folorunso Fatukasi, who was a non-factor during his two-year stint. Moreover, most of the players he brought up are no longer on the roster, with the exception of linebacker Foyesade Oluokun,
Did it truly work for the Jaguars to spend big in 2022's free agency?
This begs the question, what did the Jaguars gain by going on a spending spree in 2022? They went from worst to first in the AFC South and made it to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Not bad, right? On the other hand, it gave them the false impression that they were close to becoming a contender when in reality was that Jacksonville was at that time a team still in rebuilding mode following the Urban Meyer debacle.
For proof, the Jags failed to make the playoffs in 2023, but instead of rethinking their approach, they doubled down and went into another spending spree last year. It led owner Shad Khan to claim that the 2024 team was the best in team history. It was far from.
The Jaguars went 4-13 in 2024. It cost Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke their jobs, so it's fair to say that short-term, their 2022 free-agent haul might've worked, but it didn't have a positive impact long-term.
So what exactly did the Jaguars do in 2025 NFL Free Agency?
On Day 1 of the legal tampering period, the Jacksonville Jaguars reached agreements with the following players:
Patrick Mekari, OG
Robert Hainsey, C
Chuma Edoga, OL
Johnny Mundt, TE
Hunter Long, TE
Dyami Brown, WR
Nick Mullens, QB
Eric Murray, S
Jourdan Lewis, CB
Mekari, Hainsey, Murray, and Lewis should start. Long and Mundt will add depth at tight end while Edoga does the same on the offensive line. Brown should complete with Gabe Davis for playing time, and Mullens will back Trevor Lawrence up.
All things considered, it's a solid haul, but because it lacks luster, the Jaguars have gotten lots of unwarranted criticism. Sure, they didn't sign what you would call game-changers but added reinforcements to the roster. That's a pretty good outcome when you take into account that the Jags will continue to get better in the draft.
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